Week8 cal

SALEH ALOTHMAN CAL Progress Report Word Count: Module work that you have accomplished The last section of this module focused in particular upon work knowledge creation and action learning, especially with regard to its two forms i. e. inquiring from inside and doing so from outside. . (Evered and Louis, 1981). Various types of such action research were considered, experimental, inductive, participatory action research (Greenwood, Whyte and Harkavy, 1993: p. 177) and grounded action research. There was also discussion about the possible pros and cons of having pre-understanding. (Coghlan, 2001: p. 51).
I was also able to consider the following points:-
The creation of knowledge in an environment which is politicised;
The influence that ethical considerations have on the conduct of management
research;
Concepts of quality within research which is quantitative/qualitative;
The way in which research projects can be planned and conducted in ways which
would enhance the possibilities of the findings being published.
What you have learned from readings and from class/team members?
There were discussions and arguments with regard to carrying out research internally or externally, and also how related matters or politics within the organisation could best be managed. Various types of organisational politics were discussed. I learnt about PAR i. e participatory action research, and about grounded research i. e. research where data is collected and then a theory developed, rather than the more usual creation of a hypothesis in the first instance.
I found out that the management research publication environment still has a strong tendency to be centred upon America.
Research ethics was considered both from the reciprocity point of view i. e where researchers and those under consideration could both benefit, and also from a safety/informed consent/confidentiality view point.
Bell and Bryman, (2007) stated that ethics should not just be a check list to be completed, but an aspirational part of research design. The members of my learning set helped me on the subject of research being emancipatory, that is free from imposed constraints, or not.
How you have applied concepts from the classroom?
The main features of PAR are diversity, case orientation, collaboration, the linking of social action to scientific knowledge, eclecticism, using local knowledge and the emergent process. In my particular situation it is collaboration between the various sectors within the company which needs to be improved and this will require the participation and intervention of top management.
Zuber-Skerritt and Perry in 2002 made suggestions as to how to both connect, and at the same time differentiate, between the theories behind a piece of research and the pragmatic actions required. I will be able to follow their advice during the preparation for my thesis.
Progress to date on the CAL project
Up until the present there has been no progress.
You can use your rich picture of your practice to explore your position as a scholarly practitioner. What improvements to the situation are you seeking and what are the implications for others?
My major concern is improving the motivation levels of employees as I stated earlier. The creation of knowledge and its dissemination are improving. There are employees who have come gradually to understand the importance of this, but others remain seemingly overly concerned about their job security, feeling that if lots of information is created and shared around this could place their further employment in jeopardy.
The week 8 studies brought us full circle to the discussion in Module 1 about the work of student/practitioners must work towards creating knowledge, both theoretical and practical. It expanded upon the earlier discussion by considering some alternative ideas about what constitutes action research. With this in mind, and being able to reflect on work during Modules 5-9 about work place issues, should improve my capabilities as a researcher and a scholar/practitioner.
How will your understanding and the knowledge you are likely to generate provide a resource for leadership?
From discussions with my fellow students, as well as on the readings suggested, I am able to explain how important the sharing of knowledge is, as well as how it can be used within a company for the benefit of all. I am now able to show my colleagues how this can be achieved.
The aim of the DBA programme is the promotion of research by scholar/practitioners within their work environment. What I gained most from weeks 7 and 8 was how important correct ethics are, and that being bound by these is a sign of good leadership.
REFERENCES
BELL, E. and BRYMAN, A., 2007, The Ethics of Management Research: An Exploratory Content Analysis, British Journal of Management, 18: 63–77 EBSCOhost [Online]. Available from: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. liv. ac. uk/ehost/detail? hid= 105&sid= 446561bf-3152-405d-87fd-f6972fd2d38e%40sessionmgr115&vid= 45&bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db= buh&AN= 24165542 (Accessed: 9th August 2011).
COGHLAN, D., 2001, Insider Action Research Projects : Implications for Practising Managers, Management Learning, 32 (1), pp. 49-60 , Sage Journals [Online]. Available from: http://mlq. sagepub. com. ezproxy. liv. ac. uk/content/32/1/49. full. pdf+html (Accessed: 9TH August 2011).
EVERED, R. and LOUIS, M.(1981), Alternative Perspectives in the Organizational Sciences: ” Inquiry from the Inside” and ” Inquiry from the Outside””, Academy of Management Review, 6(3): 385-395
GREENWOOD, D.; WHYTE, W. and HARKAVY, I. ( 1993)
Participatory Action Research as a Process and as a Goal, Human Relations, 46 (2), pp. 175-192
ZUBER-SKERRITT, O. and PERRY, C , 2002, Action research within organisations and university thesis writing,’The Learning Organization, 9(4), 171-179, Emerald [Online]. Available from: http://www. emeraldinsight. com. ezproxy. liv. ac. uk/journals. htm? issn= 0969-6474&volume= 9&issue= 4&articleid= 882639&show= html&PHPSESSID= cb1d0684nvdgb9b31q327mhe91 (Accessed: 9TH August 2011).